Champions League Draw Overshadowed by Growing UEFA-FIFA Rift Over World Cup Financing

The latest Champions League draw comes amid a major dispute between UEFA and FIFA, with European football’s governing body expected to withdraw its threat to boycott global competitions after FIFA shelved controversial plans to bring private investors into major tournaments.

The row erupted after reports emerged in late July that FIFA president Gianni Infantino was exploring the creation of a commercial company to oversee major events, including the World Cup and Club World Cup. The proposed FIFA Forward Enterprise initiative could have allowed private investors to buy stakes in the new entity.

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and the organisation reacted strongly, describing the proposal as a “shady, opaque backroom deal”. UEFA subsequently warned that no European national team would take part in a FIFA competition while the plans remained active.

That boycott threat was expected to be reconsidered on Thursday as UEFA executives and representatives from its member associations gathered in Monaco ahead of the Champions League draw. Sources told AFP that UEFA was likely to withdraw the threat after receiving assurances that similar plans would not be revived.

UEFA had demanded not only that the proposed financing structure be abandoned but also guarantees that future attempts to reshape the commercial control of football would not be made in the same manner. A source familiar with the situation said on Wednesday that UEFA was satisfied the second condition had been addressed.

Dropping the boycott threat would also help UEFA maintain a united position in its wider disagreement with Infantino. A split among European associations over participation in FIFA competitions could have weakened pressure for the FIFA president to leave his position.

Attention will now turn to the 2026/27 Champions League, with Paris Saint-Germain entering the competition as defending champions and seeking an unprecedented third consecutive European title. PSG beat Arsenal on penalties in last season’s final in Budapest, but only Real Madrid, between 2016 and 2018, have managed three straight European titles in the past half-century.

The competition continues with its 36-team league format, with every club playing eight matches against different opponents. England and Spain each have five representatives, while Como will make its debut after breaking into Italy’s elite and Azerbaijan’s Sabah and Austria’s LASK will also appear in the competition proper for the first time. The league phase is scheduled to run into January, with the final set for Madrid’s Metropolitano Stadium on June 5, 2027.